General Recruiting Discussion/Comments 2022 and before

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 7 years ago

Yes, the recruiting push is on big time as of noon yesterday.

If we could get a highly rated 4 year PF for next season, that would be OK by me.

steveystuds06 · Unread post by **steveystuds06** » 7 years ago

Travis Ford has always gotten it done with recruiting this is nothing new... he just never gets the best out of those recruits

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 7 years ago

steveystuds06 wrote:Travis Ford has always gotten it done with recruiting this is nothing new... he just never gets the best out of those recruits

Well it's time to Dan and staff to get it done.....if we're going to become VCU or Dayton-like, the time is now.

And I know some here will come on and preach patience.....but until we start getting commitments from higher rated big men, and not "projects" like ML and MT, I will remain skeptical of this program's ability to recruit them.

Shaolin Swat · Unread post by **Shaolin Swat** » 7 years ago

rambone 78 wrote:
steveystuds06 wrote:Travis Ford has always gotten it done with recruiting this is nothing new... he just never gets the best out of those recruits
Well it's time to Dan and staff to get it done.....if we're going to become VCU or Dayton-like, the time is now.

And I know some here will come on and preach patience.....but until we start getting commitments from higher rated big men, and not "projects" like ML and MT, I will remain skeptical of this program's ability to recruit them.

Part of the reason for these "projects" has to do with perceived playing time available. Last year, there were senior starters listed in the front court and a returning junior front court player. A lot of players want a path to immediate playing time, which is going to impact the players who are committing.

Dan and staff did a pretty good job hitting on Hassan and Cyril during the recruiting period and did a pretty good job developing Kuran during the time he was here. I'll agree that their strength is recruiting strong guards, but I think that more a reflection of the fact that there are more quality guards available on an annual basis.

Highly rated big men tend to commit to top programs, and the SLU situation is more of an anomaly. A lot of this stuff has to do with local recruiting base, it's more common to land higher ranked recruits if there are highly ranked recruits locally. I'd love to reel in highly ranked players but, until we have the BB-only facilities to compete on the recruiting trail, the staff is going to have to identify players that they can develop over time.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 7 years ago

Swat, as far as 4 year bigs go...that's [at least for now] what we're going to get....I guess it will take more success [and yes the practice facility] to lure the higher rated ones...but we still need someone for next season who is ready made to contribute right away....as in KI numbers.

With the number of players we're chasing [and there are probably more that we don't know about yet] I get the feeling that we will have more than 1 opening for next season.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 7 years ago

rambone 78 wrote:
steveystuds06 wrote:Travis Ford has always gotten it done with recruiting this is nothing new... he just never gets the best out of those recruits
Well it's time to Dan and staff to get it done.....if we're going to become VCU or Dayton-like, the time is now.

And I know some here will come on and preach patience.....but until we start getting commitments from higher rated big men, and not "projects" like ML and MT, I will remain skeptical of this program's ability to recruit them.

I get what you're saying because Hassan and KI really sucked.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 7 years ago

rambone 78 wrote:
steveystuds06 wrote:Travis Ford has always gotten it done with recruiting this is nothing new... he just never gets the best out of those recruits
Well it's time to Dan and staff to get it done.....if we're going to become VCU or Dayton-like, the time is now.

And I know some here will come on and preach patience.....but until we start getting commitments from higher rated big men, and not "projects" like ML and MT, I will remain skeptical of this program's ability to recruit them.

True. Patience is for big dummies. Everyone knows this.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 7 years ago

Consistent winning programs, do so by restocking the roster
looking ahead to needs, class by class.
Three years ago, everyone knew Iverson and Hassan would be leaving
in 2016-17.
So, the answer was Andre Berry.
Then last cycle, Langevine, and two guys who never saw the court.
Who plays PF next season? Akele? He's a finess player.
In five years, Dan has not recruited a four year forward.
Martin was supposed to be a forward, but played center by default.

Smokinjimit · Unread post by **Smokinjimit** » 7 years ago

I can see us getting a 5 year guy to come here at center this yr. That would make everything fall into place.

steveystuds06 · Unread post by **steveystuds06** » 7 years ago

If Dan is going after someone like Toppin I'm assuming he thinks Cyril, ML, MT, and Akele will be good enough for us next year. I still don't get the reasons why Layssard literally never played last year. Saying well Dan got us to the tournament he's always right isn't good enough for me...The fact is looking at the roster right now we are taking a big step back after next season. The Thompson and Akele class was average at best. Cyril and Dowtin look like solid starters, but we need at least one of ML and MT to pan out or we are in trouble. Dan got us to where we want to be so I have faith in him getting the job done.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 7 years ago

steveystuds06 wrote:If Dan is going after someone like Toppin I'm assuming he thinks Cyril, ML, MT, and Akele will be good enough for us next year. I still don't get the reasons why Layssard literally never played last year. Saying well Dan got us to the tournament he's always right isn't good enough for me...The fact is looking at the roster right now we are taking a big step back after next season. The Thompson and Akele class was average at best. Cyril and Dowtin look like solid starters, but we need at least one of ML and MT to pan out or we are in trouble. Dan got us to where we want to be so I have faith in him getting the job done.

A big step back? Pre-season top 25 and picked to win the A-10.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 7 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Consistent winning programs, do so by restocking the roster
looking ahead to needs, class by class.
Three years ago, everyone knew Iverson and Hassan would be leaving
in 2016-17.
So, the answer was Andre Berry.
Then last cycle, Langevine, and two guys who never saw the court.
Who plays PF next season? Akele? He's a finess player.
In five years, Dan has not recruited a four year forward.
Martin was supposed to be a forward, but played center by default.

It's difficult for a mid-major to recruit when you have a talented team. That's always been the case. Good players don't want to come to a mid-major and sit for a year or two. So some years you end up with a Matthew Butler or an Andre Berry. Langevine and Dowtin was an excellent take considering what URI had coming back.
All of this leads to the need to fill in with transfers, which is what Hurley is trying to do.
As for forwards, the stretch 4 is the toughest position to recruit because there aren't enough skilled bigs to go around.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 7 years ago

steveystuds06 wrote:If Dan is going after someone like Toppin I'm assuming he thinks Cyril, ML, MT, and Akele will be good enough for us next year. I still don't get the reasons why Layssard literally never played last year. Saying well Dan got us to the tournament he's always right isn't good enough for me...The fact is looking at the roster right now we are taking a big step back after next season. The Thompson and Akele class was average at best. Cyril and Dowtin look like solid starters, but we need at least one of ML and MT to pan out or we are in trouble. Dan got us to where we want to be so I have faith in him getting the job done.

I don't agree with your first sentence. You have to recruit for different scenarios. They're recruiting jucos and fifth-year players but if that doesn't work out you need to be recruiting freshmen like Toppin. Also, it's not impossible that another scholarship opens up so you have to be prepared for that.

steveystuds06 · Unread post by **steveystuds06** » 7 years ago

Iggy1979 wrote:
steveystuds06 wrote:If Dan is going after someone like Toppin I'm assuming he thinks Cyril, ML, MT, and Akele will be good enough for us next year. I still don't get the reasons why Layssard literally never played last year. Saying well Dan got us to the tournament he's always right isn't good enough for me...The fact is looking at the roster right now we are taking a big step back after next season. The Thompson and Akele class was average at best. Cyril and Dowtin look like solid starters, but we need at least one of ML and MT to pan out or we are in trouble. Dan got us to where we want to be so I have faith in him getting the job done.
A big step back? Pre-season top 25 and picked to win the A-10.

What? Next year we are fine I said after next year.. we aren't a preseason top 25 team after we lose ec, jt, stan etc..

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 7 years ago

steveystuds06 wrote:If Dan is going after someone like Toppin I'm assuming he thinks Cyril, ML, MT, and Akele will be good enough for us next year. I still don't get the reasons why Layssard literally never played last year. Saying well Dan got us to the tournament he's always right isn't good enough for me...The fact is looking at the roster right now we are taking a big step back after next season. The Thompson and Akele class was average at best. Cyril and Dowtin look like solid starters, but we need at least one of ML and MT to pan out or we are in trouble. Dan got us to where we want to be so I have faith in him getting the job done.

I honestly think it is insane that people have given up on Layssard and Tertsea because the team did not need to rely heavily on them as true freshmen. Bigs typically see the steepest curve in terms of development, and the situation for the team did not lend itself to charity minutes for guys in the developmental stage.

Rhody83 · Unread post by **Rhody83** » 7 years ago

A few comments on recent post above.
1) With teams playing 3 guards there is no difference between C & F. To say Hass was recruited as a F but played C. What woukd he have done differently on the court?

2) Dan's comment on recruiting is that you need 2 top of the conference players each year - Hass & EC, JT & JG, missed a year, CL & JD. You can throw in KI (two year starter) with Hass & EC and Stan (6th man) with JT & JG. We all agree the CT & Akele year was a miss.

3) At the end of the year Dan was playing a 9 man rotation. That is a lot of players in college ball. JG and Stan subing for 3 spots, CL for Hass and Akele for KI. There wasn't any time for the other Fr to play. He played the top two Fr on a Jr & Sr filled team.

Da_Process_Survivor · Unread post by **Da_Process_Survivor** » 7 years ago

TruePoint wrote:
steveystuds06 wrote:If Dan is going after someone like Toppin I'm assuming he thinks Cyril, ML, MT, and Akele will be good enough for us next year. I still don't get the reasons why Layssard literally never played last year. Saying well Dan got us to the tournament he's always right isn't good enough for me...The fact is looking at the roster right now we are taking a big step back after next season. The Thompson and Akele class was average at best. Cyril and Dowtin look like solid starters, but we need at least one of ML and MT to pan out or we are in trouble. Dan got us to where we want to be so I have faith in him getting the job done.
I honestly think it is insane that people have given up on Layssard and Tertsea because the team did not need to rely heavily on them as true freshmen. Bigs typically see the steepest curve in terms of development, and the situation for the team did not lend itself to charity minutes for guys in the developmental stage.

this.

teams that have talent throughout typically nurture and bring their bigs along slowly...unless the kid is a 1 and done. Its pretty common for bigs to redshirt, it simply means you have a talented team

steveystuds06 · Unread post by **steveystuds06** » 7 years ago

I love Layssards upside that's why I'm one of the few people who wanted him to get more minutes last season. I think he could be great. As for MT I have no idea I haven't seen any game tape, but his size alone is something we need.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 7 years ago

steveystuds06 wrote:
Iggy1979 wrote:
steveystuds06 wrote:If Dan is going after someone like Toppin I'm assuming he thinks Cyril, ML, MT, and Akele will be good enough for us next year. I still don't get the reasons why Layssard literally never played last year. Saying well Dan got us to the tournament he's always right isn't good enough for me...The fact is looking at the roster right now we are taking a big step back after next season. The Thompson and Akele class was average at best. Cyril and Dowtin look like solid starters, but we need at least one of ML and MT to pan out or we are in trouble. Dan got us to where we want to be so I have faith in him getting the job done.
A big step back? Pre-season top 25 and picked to win the A-10.
What? Next year we are fine I said after next year.. we aren't a preseason top 25 team after we lose ec, jt, stan etc..

My bad. Thought you were talking about next season.

Da_Process_Survivor · Unread post by **Da_Process_Survivor** » 7 years ago

Rhody83 wrote:A few comments on recent post above.
1) With teams playing 3 guards there is no difference between C & F. To say Hass was recruited as a F but played C. What woukd he have done differently on the court?

2) Dan's comment on recruiting is that you need 2 top of the conference players each year - Hass & EC, JT & JG, missed a year, CL & JD. You can throw in KI (two year starter) with Hass & EC and Stan (6th man) with JT & JG. We all agree the CT & Akele year was a miss.

3) At the end of the year Dan was playing a 9 man rotation. That is a lot of players in college ball. JG and Stan subing for 3 spots, CL for Hass and Akele for KI. There wasn't any time for the other Fr to play. He played the top two Fr on a Jr & Sr filled team.

big mistake to slot a guy as 'this is who he is' after only their sophomore season. I wouldnt surprised by CT or Akele making a jump as upper classmen. It happens fairly often.

Keith Cothran went from 7ppg as a soph to 13 as a junior and 14 as a senior and saw his 3pt shooting % increase by 13%
Delroy James went from 3ppg to 10ppg to 13 to 17
Ulmer jumped from 7ppg to 12 in his senior year
Hazelton jumped from 6ppg to 15 in 1 year

point being as young players you typically play spot minutes, non ideal situations and are more of a stop gap to get the stars rest. when you become an upperclassman you get the good minutes, get offense run for you to get shots and see a jump.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 7 years ago

I'm not giving up on any of the bigs, but Koch reported pretty early on that URI was looking for a transfer F who could play right away. The logical conclusion from that was the coaches were not comfortable with anyone on the roster taking KI's spot in the starting lineup. I think if they have a shot at Khris Lane they'll take him and he'll start.

steveystuds06 · Unread post by **steveystuds06** » 7 years ago

Iggy1979 wrote:
steveystuds06 wrote:
Iggy1979 wrote: A big step back? Pre-season top 25 and picked to win the A-10.
What? Next year we are fine I said after next year.. we aren't a preseason top 25 team after we lose ec, jt, stan etc..
My bad. Thought you were talking about next season.

All good.. I'd be crazy to think next year won't be special

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 7 years ago

Hazelton didn;t play much, behind the immortal Jamal Wise.
Total waste of talent for a full year by CFL.
As for a stretch 4, you don;t need a hulk for that position.
A 6'7" player with a touch is fine.
As for what Hassan could have done differently as a forward....
develop a handle, a consistent shot, and not be buried under the basket.
His biggest improvement on offense came as a senior.
Before that, he was an afterthought on set plays.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 7 years ago

Iggy1979 wrote:I'm not giving up on any of the bigs, but Koch reported pretty early on that URI was looking for a transfer F who could play right away. The logical conclusion from that was the coaches were not comfortable with anyone on the roster taking KI's spot in the starting lineup. I think if they have a shot at Khris Lane they'll take him and he'll start.

I think you can have expectations for Layssard and Tertsea for their careers and want a JUCO or grad transfer big for next season and even want a four year big that might also take some time to develop and not be immediately ready next season.

I don't view any of these as mutually exclusive to the others.

steveystuds06 · Unread post by **steveystuds06** » 7 years ago

Jamal Wise had one move... He would post up and do that turnaround jumper in the corner. It was pretty the first time, but it's literally all he did and teams started to defend it. Hazelton would be perfect this team right now.

Da_Process_Survivor · Unread post by **Da_Process_Survivor** » 7 years ago

steveystuds06 wrote:Jamal Wise had one move... He would post up and do that turnaround jumper in the corner. It was pretty the first time, but it's literally all he did and teams started to defend it. Hazelton would be perfect this team right now.

hmmm, I'd kill to have Seawright on this team. Big, tall, player who has a laundry list of post moves and scores on the block, rebounds and plays D

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 7 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Hazelton didn;t play much, behind the immortal Jamal Wise.
Total waste of talent for a full year by CFL.
As for a stretch 4, you don;t need a hulk for that position.
A 6'7" player with a touch is fine.
As for what Hassan could have done differently as a forward....
develop a handle, a consistent shot, and not be buried under the basket.
His biggest improvement on offense came as a senior.
Before that, he was an afterthought on set plays.

This theory on Hassan is what I don't get...Hassan never showed the ability to put the ball on the floor, or consistently hit an outside shot. Nor was he a proficient passer. All things in media he said he was working hard on in interviews before his senior season. Are you inferring he didn't pick up these skills because he spent all his game time playing as a 5? Or, did he play the 5 because his skill sets were those of a traditional center (shot blocking, rebounding, dunking/athletic plays at the rim)? I have to think if he showed the ability to do things of a stretch 4 Dan would have put him in those situations more, regardless of who he was covering on defense....until his senior year he never showed that ability, and once he did he was allowed to use those skills.

josephski · Unread post by **josephski** » 7 years ago

TruePoint wrote:
steveystuds06 wrote:If Dan is going after someone like Toppin I'm assuming he thinks Cyril, ML, MT, and Akele will be good enough for us next year. I still don't get the reasons why Layssard literally never played last year. Saying well Dan got us to the tournament he's always right isn't good enough for me...The fact is looking at the roster right now we are taking a big step back after next season. The Thompson and Akele class was average at best. Cyril and Dowtin look like solid starters, but we need at least one of ML and MT to pan out or we are in trouble. Dan got us to where we want to be so I have faith in him getting the job done.
I honestly think it is insane that people have given up on Layssard and Tertsea because the team did not need to rely heavily on them as true freshmen. Bigs typically see the steepest curve in terms of development, and the situation for the team did not lend itself to charity minutes for guys in the developmental stage.

I'm not giving up on those guys but I think some people here have unreasonable expectations out of our bigs next year. We lose the two best bigs Hurley has recruited, one of them being the best player on our team last year. Even if Layssard and Tertsea improve I don't think our bigs next year will be even close to the talent level of this past year both offensively and defensively.

steveystuds06 · Unread post by **steveystuds06** » 7 years ago

Joe I think Hass and Cyril are the two best bigs Hurley has recruited. I completely agree with you about the expectations and that's why we need to land a big that can make an immediate impact.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 7 years ago

Do people really have that high of expectations about the big men on next year's team? If "not bad enough to screw things up for the 5 or 6 guards on the team that could start for almost anyone in the country" is too high of expectations, I'm guilty of that I guess. We need the front court to be serviceable. If we happen to be able to bring in a really good four to put next to Cyril (who I do think will be a very good player eventually), all the better.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 7 years ago

we need to be able to throw the ball into the post- and have that person be a threat to score. Spacing is killed without that basic dynamic. We need 1 person amongst Langevine and a grad transfer/Juco to be that guy.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 7 years ago

bigappleram wrote:we need to be able to throw the ball into the post- and have that person be a threat to score. Spacing is killed without that basic dynamic. We need 1 person amongst Langevine and a grad transfer/Juco to be that guy.

I do remember Cyril making a nice spin move one time.... If he can just develop a baby hook he can at least be a threat. Supposedly Tertsea has made big strides offensively. What that means, I have no idea.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 7 years ago

Cyril's offensive game progressed really well over the course of the season, to the point where he was a legit threat to score and had a decent little arsenal of moves by the end of the year. You could see it coming during A10 play, but often he'd execute a move only to lose control at the end and miss the lay in, or fumble the ball away. Fans reacted to it like it was evidence he was hopeless offensively but I thought it was obvious that he was working on stuff and adding to his game. It doesn't come all at once. Based on how much I think he progressed during the season, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he makes another leap over the summer.

rhodylaw · Unread post by **rhodylaw** » 7 years ago

I think with we will be fine next year. 1 of the guys one the team now is going to "surprise" everyone and be really good next year. Andre is already good on the offensive side, so it would not be shocking to me if he improved his athleticism some more, played better D and was a really good player. Cyril we know can play D and will probably improve on offense more than we saw during the season. Let's not go crazy on a guard oriented team that we don't have a great front court.

Rhody Guy · Unread post by **Rhody Guy** » 7 years ago

Da_Process_Survivor wrote:
steveystuds06 wrote:Jamal Wise had one move... He would post up and do that turnaround jumper in the corner. It was pretty the first time, but it's literally all he did and teams started to defend it. Hazelton would be perfect this team right now.
hmmm, I'd kill to have Seawright on this team. Big, tall, player who has a laundry list of post moves and scores on the block, rebounds and plays D

Seawright was the same size as Hassan...much different skill set though.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 7 years ago

Seawright was a nice player but not in same hemisphere as Hass in terms of talent.

PeterRamTime · Unread post by **PeterRamTime** » 7 years ago

Seawright was like an all pro in Spain which is one of the top countries in Europe for basketball.

Laysaard is looking like our best chance at a stretch four right now.
He missed every jumper he took this year, but his jumper didn't look too bad and he was looking to take jump shots so he can maybe be a stretch 4.

reef · Unread post by **reef** » 7 years ago

Definetly need all our bigs to get in the gym and work on their games this offseason

I did like how CL came on at the end of the year on offense especially at the beginning of the Oregon game

kal-65 · Unread post by **kal-65** » 7 years ago

stevey s ---I would disagree;imo gil biruta was hurleys' best big man recruit

Cyril could be better if his game improves

Rhodekill · Unread post by **Rhodekill** » 7 years ago

kal-65 wrote:stevey s ---I would disagree;imo gil biruta was hurleys' best big man recruit

Cyril could be better if his game improves

Wow, better than Hassan ????? Don't think many would agree with you on this, Mrs. Biruta

kal-65 · Unread post by **kal-65** » 7 years ago

DEAR MRS SARCASTIC ROAD KILL; BIRUTA COULD RUN THE FLOOR,HAD A SHOT IN THE LOW POST,AND WAS AN ALL STAR IN THE BIG EAST BEFORE HE TRANSFERRED.---I THINK HASS IS A GREAT PLAYER BUT HE IS PRIMARLY REMEMBERED AS A GREAT DEFENSIVE PLAYER

RhowdyRam02 · Unread post by **RhowdyRam02** » 7 years ago

This escalated rapidly...

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 7 years ago

Yo man. Gil was a lovable kid and good player but saying he was a better player than Hassan Martin is insane.

Smokinjimit · Unread post by **Smokinjimit** » 7 years ago

Laughable that Gil was better than Hass.

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 7 years ago

Seawright is taller/longer than Hassan Martin. Seawright also had great low post offense his whole career. Seawright's rebounding/defense is forgotten and underrated.

Hassan Martin dominated at a high enough level and long enough for the team to win the A10 title. That cannot be understated.

I'm really not worried about the big guys next year. Also Cyril played great against Cincinnati his first month. He played great against Oregon with a Sweet Sixteen on the line. Cyril is as accomplished in his first year as any big guy in the past 20 years. That means his trajectory is on par or higher than others.

[EDIT] *Any big guy at URI

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 7 years ago

Maybe Cyril will be that good....that's great but he needs some help. If Layssard and Tertsea still aren't ready to consistently contribute, we will be in trouble in the frontcourt.

The fact that Dan is looking for sometime that can play right away, is a pretty obvious sign that he thinks we still need more up front.

RhodyKyle · Unread post by **RhodyKyle** » 7 years ago

At one time I agreed with everything kal said....then I saw Gil play. He averaged 10pts and 5rebs per game with Rutgers (freshman and sophomore year stats were very consistent year over year). Hardly an "all- star."

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 7 years ago

He had skills, but his head wasn't in the game sometimes....some of the stuff that went on at Rutgers probably affected him more than we know.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 7 years ago

Gil made the BE all rookie team his freshman year.

DeanDome88 · Unread post by **DeanDome88** » 7 years ago

rambone 78 wrote:He had skills, but his head wasn't in the game sometimes....some of the stuff that went on at Rutgers probably affected him more than we know.

I think it is our style of play as much as anything. The big guys who are less mobile seem to struggle on the defensive end.

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